Whose done lathrop and sons foot mapping system?

[sneaky]

That does not make me want to go with L&S....

Sounds like he's having to get mods done that are outside of the normal realm. Could be wrong though, but sounds more like the exception than the rule on wait time.

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[BRTreedogs]

Them keep telling they can get the boots from the manufacturer.
But I've seen other guys get elites in the meantime.
But the wait has been twice as long as said.
And it there not as great as they say they are it could ruin my season.
It takes at least 50 miles for me to get comfortable in boots.
And I just dont have time for that.

 

[Dwnorton1]

Pretty simple decision really if you think about it. If you have the money to afford this service, then I highly recommend it. Worth every penny. (to me) I spent some time in Montana few years back on a hunt with blisters and sore toes from mis-sized boots. Completely ruined my hunt. So I wasted my time, a tag, and an opportunity, not to mention $300 on pair of boots that don't fit, on something that is preventable.
When your feet hurt so bad that you don't want to even put boots on time to re-think situation. We invest so much just to get to where we are hunting, isn't it worth eliminating problems that can arise before they happen. I consider it a preventative maintenance deal. Control variables that you can, don't worry about those out of your control. I had to wait 7-8 months for my boots but that was due to Lowa only making boats, er I mean boots in size 16 for about 2 weeks a year. Guys at L&S searched the world trying to find me a pair, but finally just had to wait. If you never have any issues with finding the perfect fit, probably not for you. If you have problems finding correct size or have had to deal with blisters. Worth the consideration. Another thing to consider is you only invest this sizing one time then you can ensure your next ten pairs of boots fit, not just current one. BTW their insoles are AWESOME.

 

[Adubs]

I’m gonna write my personal review/experience going through the mapping system and boot buying process. This was my first pair of mountain boots as I’ve always wore danner pronghorns on my archery elk hunts. My brother drew a Montana MT goat tag and we booked a hunt in the NWT for Dall sheep and caribou in a couple years (hence my need for a better mountain boot). I contacted L&S back in April and after a conversation with them I decided to spend the extra money and go through the process knowing how important a good fitting boot can be on extreme backpack hunts. The mapping system was mailed to me and I followed the instructions and sent the info back. Shortly after I got a call to go through the results and get a recommendation for a boot. It was suggested to either try the L&S mountain hunter or a pair of Lowas. I was told both would be a great boot based on my feet and the hunts I was purchasing them for. I decided to go with the L&S boots in an effort to support the guys who were offering the service. Yes I knew they were new boots and more $ than the lowas but felt it was worth it. The boots arrived in early July (I knew there was a wait) and this is where things started to go wrong. I made the mistake of not calling and going through the fit as recommended. I wore the boots on a few short hikes but the boots just didn’t feel good and I was getting blisters on my 4th and 5th toe and heel rub once in a while. Unfortunately I had some work related travel in early August and didn’t call L&S until I got back to go over the issues. This was of no fault of theirs and it was my mistake to not follow directions. After talking with James he had me take pictures of my feet again but this time with a sock on standing on the original footbeds (I ordered the custom ones to wear in my boots). He called back after I had sent the pics and recommended me marking on the boots with tape where the issues were and mail them back for them to fix. They sent me a shipping label and I sent the boots back. James called me a couple days later, which means he was working on my boots the day he got them. We discussed my problem areas and he said he would have hem back in the mail that day, great service. When I got the boots I did what I should’ve in July and called to go over the fit. One of the issues had been resolved but my toes were still cramped and my 4th toe had pressure from the top of the toe box.at this point I’m running out of time as I have the goat hunt starting sept 7th. James suggested using Leuko tape and some toe cover that I could buy at Walmart that should help with the blisters. (At this point I was frustrated with the results knowing I hadn’t followed directions but thought the boots should’ve fit better than this. How could I go on a goat hunt with boots that had plenty of miles on them but hurt my feet the minute I put them on?? Was my best option to go to Walmart to by a plastic cover for my toes?? I was walking morning and night but only for 2 miles or so because my feet (especially my toes) wouldn’t take walks longer than that. So, on Monday I called James back and told him I just couldn’t take these boots on my hunt. I couldn’t walk two miles on flat blacktop roads in WI, how would my feet survive a mountain goat hunt? He agreed that with the problems I was having that the L&S boots weren’t the right fit for me. He had me resend my pics of my feet to review and suggested the lowa Tibet gtx in a half size larger and a wider version. However now in a real crunch (9 days before I’m set to leave) I decided to drive to a sporting goods store that carried crispi and kenetreks to try them on in person now that I had a better understanding of what to look for in a boot and what to feel for in the fit. After about 20 minutes of trying on different boots and talking with the associate there I walked out with the kenetrek mountain extreme. They were far more comfortable and an obviously better fit for my foot. I called James back and told him to save the shipping cost of sending the Lowas and asked for a refund on the L&S boots. He agreed to refund the boots. This morning I did a 6 mile hike with 50lbs in my pack with zero issues.

At the end of the day I’m frustrated that I’m out $600 for a process that didn’t go well for me at all. I take a lot of the blame personally for not figuring this out in July by following instructions. Knowing how well The kenetreks fit me makes me realize just how bad of a fit the L&S boots were. For someone that is more aware of mountain boots and what to look for this might have worked out better. I was naive and thought the fit had to be right considering the time and effort that went into picking the boot and therefore it would get better as I put more miles on them. At the end of the day I screwed up by not following directions, they recommended a boot that wasn’t a good fit for my feet, and now I have an $1100 pair of kenetrek mountain extremes.

 

[AK Troutbum]

I’m gonna write my personal review/experience going through the mapping system and boot buying process. This was my first pair of mountain boots as I’ve always wore danner pronghorns on my archery elk hunts. My brother drew a Montana MT goat tag and we booked a hunt in the NWT for Dall sheep and caribou in a couple years (hence my need for a better mountain boot). I contacted L&S back in April and after a conversation with them I decided to spend the extra money and go through the process knowing how important a good fitting boot can be on extreme backpack hunts. The mapping system was mailed to me and I followed the instructions and sent the info back. Shortly after I got a call to go through the results and get a recommendation for a boot. It was suggested to either try the L&S mountain hunter or a pair of Lowas. I was told both would be a great boot based on my feet and the hunts I was purchasing them for. I decided to go with the L&S boots in an effort to support the guys who were offering the service. Yes I knew they were new boots and more $ than the lowas but felt it was worth it. The boots arrived in early July (I knew there was a wait) and this is where things started to go wrong. I made the mistake of not calling and going through the fit as recommended. I wore the boots on a few short hikes but the boots just didn’t feel good and I was getting blisters on my 4th and 5th toe and heel rub once in a while. Unfortunately I had some work related travel in early August and didn’t call L&S until I got back to go over the issues. This was of no fault of theirs and it was my mistake to not follow directions. After talking with James he had me take pictures of my feet again but this time with a sock on standing on the original footbeds (I ordered the custom ones to wear in my boots). He called back after I had sent the pics and recommended me marking on the boots with tape where the issues were and mail them back for them to fix. They sent me a shipping label and I sent the boots back. James called me a couple days later, which means he was working on my boots the day he got them. We discussed my problem areas and he said he would have hem back in the mail that day, great service. When I got the boots I did what I should’ve in July and called to go over the fit. One of the issues had been resolved but my toes were still cramped and my 4th toe had pressure from the top of the toe box.at this point I’m running out of time as I have the goat hunt starting sept 7th. James suggested using Leuko tape and some toe cover that I could buy at Walmart that should help with the blisters. (At this point I was frustrated with the results knowing I hadn’t followed directions but thought the boots should’ve fit better than this. How could I go on a goat hunt with boots that had plenty of miles on them but hurt my feet the minute I put them on?? Was my best option to go to Walmart to by a plastic cover for my toes?? I was walking morning and night but only for 2 miles or so because my feet (especially my toes) wouldn’t take walks longer than that. So, on Monday I called James back and told him I just couldn’t take these boots on my hunt. I couldn’t walk two miles on flat blacktop roads in WI, how would my feet survive a mountain goat hunt? He agreed that with the problems I was having that the L&S boots weren’t the right fit for me. He had me resend my pics of my feet to review and suggested the lowa Tibet gtx in a half size larger and a wider version. However now in a real crunch (9 days before I’m set to leave) I decided to drive to a sporting goods store that carried crispi and kenetreks to try them on in person now that I had a better understanding of what to look for in a boot and what to feel for in the fit. After about 20 minutes of trying on different boots and talking with the associate there I walked out with the kenetrek mountain extreme. They were far more comfortable and an obviously better fit for my foot. I called James back and told him to save the shipping cost of sending the Lowas and asked for a refund on the L&S boots. He agreed to refund the boots. This morning I did a 6 mile hike with 50lbs in my pack with zero issues.

At the end of the day I’m frustrated that I’m out $600 for a process that didn’t go well for me at all. I take a lot of the blame personally for not figuring this out in July by following instructions. Knowing how well The kenetreks fit me makes me realize just how bad of a fit the L&S boots were. For someone that is more aware of mountain boots and what to look for this might have worked out better. I was naive and thought the fit had to be right considering the time and effort that went into picking the boot and therefore it would get better as I put more miles on them. At the end of the day I screwed up by not following directions, they recommended a boot that wasn’t a good fit for my feet, and now I have an $1100 pair of kenetrek mountain extremes.

Man, I’m sorry to hear about your experience with the L&S boots but I appreciate your honest review. So often I feel that people spend a lot of money on a particular item and write a positive review simply because the item was so expensive. I wish you the best of luck with the Kenetrek’s and on your future hunts.


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[BRTreedogs]

Pretty much the same experience I'm having with my elites.
I haven't been able to hunt 3 days in them yet.
And I dont understand why they wont offer a full refund. They are the experts that recommend the boot after the mapping.
Seems like that screw up, cause how are u really supposed to test them on the phone in your house.
I'm gonna give them 1 more shot to mod mine and open a credit card dispute of they wont give me a full refund.

 

[Adubs]

I’ve been told by a few guys I should ask for most if not all money back except the footbed cost. What’s the point of going through the process of mapping my feet if the boots they recommend after going through it don’t fit. I’ve put 25 miles on my kenetreks with a 50lb pack sinc Monday and they feel great. Zero blisters or foot fatigue from a mass produced boot tells me I don’t have odd feet that are hard to get boot to fit correctly. The more I hike in my kenetreks the more diasapointed I am in the process...

What are your guys thoughts on asking for a full or partial refund on the mapping process??

 

[BRWNBR]

Got a couple hunts in my elites. Fit is great. Lacing system is very nice. I can adjust the upper or lower part of mynlacing depending on what I plan to do for that day. Quality on the boots is impressive. Only concern is I think the tongue may leak a bit. Let James know and he said a new pair will be shipped out right away. The tongue is cordura kinda stuff and I’ve never had that on a boot before so I’m thinking either that lets in the cold or it holds the water and it eventually gets they the event membrane. Who knows. But I’m
Happy with the boots.

Like any business sometimes customers aren’t happy with product or how things went. Social media has given a voice to everyone which is helpful for others and maybe hurtful for business.
I’d be interested to wonder had adubs called and chatted per directions and had time to get boots swapped out how his experience would have been. I wore my boots in the house for a week before I called them that way if I was having issues I could go over them or swap them out for a different boot. They told me 75 percent chance the elites would work for me. 100% a different boot would. I said let’s try the 75 percent. And it worked. But I wanted to be ready to send them back if it didn’t!

 

[Adubs]

I just finished a 7 day mountain goat hunt in 9 day old kenetreks and my feet felt great. The L&S boots are high quality boots but the toe box was way too small for my feet. Knowing now how a boot should fit would’ve helped in the beginning but I had no experience with high quality mountain boots. Like I said above though, knowing how proper fitting boots should feel makes me realize how terrible the L&S boots fit. I could’ve never wore them on my hunt. Love my kenetreks though!!

 

[BRWNBR]

Update.
Hunt number 3 is behind me with my elites. Started to rub on the heels a little. Contacted L n S and a different size boot is on the way. These guys are Johnny on the spot. I went to try my old miendels on that I used for a decade or so while my new boots are in shipping. Couldn’t believe how uncomfortable they were! The L n S fit is soooo much nicer. The durability of the elites is way past my miendels as well. My boots still look pretty new. My miendels would look three seasons old after a couple hunts and loose
Their stiffness some. My elites have not.
I did ditch the synergy footbed for a straight felt insole that I’m used to.

 

[BRWNBR]

So after the last hunt I was missing some heel skin and was noticing my feet were wetter than normal. After a talk with the lathrop boys, they next day air shipped me a different boot with a shipping label to send the others back! I gotta say that’s nice. Had I just bought boots from the store then developed problems I’d have been pretty hosed, but these guys switched it up and took good care of me. New boots are on in the house right now about to get water treatment tonight and be out on he tundra grizzly hunting tomorrow, a day off then into the Kodiak mountains for goats. Will keep everyone updated how the new boots work out. They are their hunter model.

 

[JollyRoger]

Glad to hear they are taking care of you, BRWNBR. I had an issue with my Mtn Hunters, not with the fit but with the boot itself. I gave them a call to ask about a possible repair or if I could somehow fix them myself and they definitely took care of me. Customer service has been outstanding with them. So far my Mtn Hunters have been fantastic and I've hunted some fairly brutal terrain that would shred a lesser boot or trail shoe. I love them so much I'm considering buying a second pair (probably the Elites) to keep in my hunting rotation.

 

[BRWNBR]

Well L n S got a new pair of boots to me the day before my hunt started. Straight into the mountians with them. After about a four day break in my feet settled in. So we csmenoff grizzly hunting sndnheaded right into the Rocky Mountains of Kodiak for goats. Lots of rain, tons of rocky sidehilling, heavy pack and the boots felt great. When you forget you have boots on it’s a good boot. High quality boots compared to my old cabelas Alaska hunter boots. Kinda bummed the seasons about over now!
The customer service I have experienced with these guys has been amazing. It’s almost like they care? Lol

 

[wasatchcomm]

I did the L and S package a couple years ago as well. very nice people but they sold one pair of boots and a pair of Brooks tennis shoes
the boots they said i needed were Tibets size 11
the brooks were size 12

i have always worn 11 1/2 shoes for the most part, some brands run seal some big
The boots were to small, toes hitting end of boots
the Brooks were to large

so the carbon prints i sent led them to this

i gave them another chance the they then send out a zamberlin hiking boot, its not even close to a tibet, and it fit terrible too,

I'm sorry, but they have carbon prints to expertly fit my feet to shoes and boots. not even close on 3 different pairs.

very nice people, but not a confidence experince

if you guys have money to throw away go for it.

just order the size boots you normally wear, find a insole that fits good.

very simple.

not worth the money IMO

 

[Barnesnbow]

I recently talked with some people who didn’t have great luck with them. That being said they didn’t do the entire custom system. From what I’ve gathered from the guys who have done the complete system they all seem to be very satisfied. One of the selling points for me was not only can they help you for hunting but also once you’re in the system they can help with work boots, running shoes etc.